Build Your Brand That Will Defeat Your Competitors

Of all the things I read about marketing in business’s books; never once I though that build your brand is as important as building your business. Although, all the powerful business around the world had been playing with it for a very long time.

I just kept on saying that branding game is for the big boys who has a lot of money not for startups. But, I was dead wrong and the bad thing is I just know about this.

However, the good thing is thank God I noticed it. MJ DeMarco said it best, “Build brand not business“.

Now, it totally change my way of thinking about building my business now. Because before this I only focusing on doing my business and rarely think about branding game.

Moreover, I always think that you need a lot of money to play the branding game but, again, I was wrong. Instead, you have to start build your brand as soon as possible because branding come in with a lot of benefits.

“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.”
― Jeff Bezos

Why You Should Build Your Own Brand?

To stand out from your competitors. When you have you own brand, you can put your company above your competitors but only if you did it well. The trick is simple, start build your brand now. Think big and start small.

To differentiate from another “me too” business who sells products or services the same as you. The best example would be in the smart phone industry. Samsung and iPhone had been producing a lot of smart phones but still their customer keeps on pouring on non stop to buy from them. Basically, both of them sells the same thing but their branding game is very different.

To create a long lasting triggers for your products. For example, if you see a Ferrari, what do you see? Probably, you would see successful guy with a lot of money right? Why is that? Easy, this is what I call successful branding game.

To avoids competing with commodities. Price is a brand builder and also a burden. Especially, if you have a lot of competitors. Sometimes, price tells what you are selling. For example, the cheaper you sell your products, it tells that the quality would probably lesser than the expensive one. Why? Because most of us don’t even know about how differentiate one quality from the others. So people tends to be assume that “expensive equals goods“.

Practical Steps To Build Your Own Brand?

Develop your Unique Selling Proposition. This is a must for every business to build your own brand. For best results, make a no brainer and unique offer to your target customer.

Be Polarize. Either they hate you or the love you. Make a message to your target customer so that they have to pick a side either you are “with me” or “against me”. This is a good thing if you are building your own tribe. For example, my blogs, Malaya Journal: would be for the one who is fighting for their dreams. If you are not, then you don’t belong here.

Arouse Emotions. Humans a big bags of emotions. We buy something because we “want to” not because we “need to”. So while building your brand, make sure your branding message attack customer’s human emotions whether sad, love or even hatred. If you have their emotions and manage to make them care; they will buy from you.

Be Interactive. Why? because customer wants to buy from people not from a company or business. This is why every company in the world had their own blogs and social medias site created just to interact with their potential customers. The secret is the more human you be, the better it is.

Be Unconventional. Let me borrow a words from MJ DeMarco said it best “conventional breeds familiarity” and becoming familiar with the masses is not how to stand out from the rest. Why? because you need to get their attention and read your advertising media. Yes, even your marketing strategy have to be unique to stand out from the rest.

Focus on benefits not features. And I meant it. You have to deliver your marketing message so well to them until their notice that they can received a lot benefits when buying from you. Even though your competitors is selling the same thing. In other words, you become a problem solver for your target customer. Ask yourself a question, in what way does your business helps solving people problem. As for me, Does my blog, Malaya Journal helps guiding people to learn more about how they can reach people’s dreams?

Recommended Readings.

1. The Millionaires Fastlane by MJ DeMarco.

2. Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini.

Summary.

When you think of Toyota, what do you think? You would think of cheap but reliable. What about Lamborghini? You would think of the car for rich people right. Why is that? Because this is what their company had been doing for a long time. They always advertise only to their target customers not to all the masses.

I mean have you ever seen a Lamborghini advertisement inside your television? I have never seen one because they know, rich people don’t watch TV a lot. Only the average people do.

Bottom line is all of these companies had been brainwashing us through their branding game and we play around their game unconsciously. But, what if we can do it too for our business, how great is that? Just practice what you learn!